New York Life Investment Management LLC Buys 2,778 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

New York Life Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 3.8% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 76,735 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,778 shares during the quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $5,181,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Dakota Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 23,130 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,562,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC lifted its position in Xcel Energy by 26.0% during the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 731 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the period. GenTrust LLC lifted its position in Xcel Energy by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. GenTrust LLC now owns 3,602 shares of the company’s stock valued at $243,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the period. Integris Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Xcel Energy by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Integris Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,323 shares of the company’s stock worth $427,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. Finally, Bond & Devick Financial Network Inc. increased its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 1.1% during the third quarter. Bond & Devick Financial Network Inc. now owns 15,972 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,043,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on XEL. KeyCorp upped their price target on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Barclays reduced their price target on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $69.91.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

XEL opened at $72.10 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $67.45 and its 200 day moving average is $66.07. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The company has a market cap of $41.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.96, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.43. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12-month low of $46.79 and a 12-month high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by ($0.06). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.40% and a return on equity of 10.65%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.57 dividend. This is a boost from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.16%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.66%.

About Xcel Energy

Xcel Energy Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the generation, purchasing, transmission, distribution, and sale of electricity. It operates through Regulated Electric Utility, Regulated Natural Gas Utility, and All Other segments. The company generates electricity through wind, nuclear, hydroelectric, biomass, and solar energy sources, as well as coal, natural gas, oil, wood, and refuse-derived fuels.